


Tower of Terror

by ObscureSubmarine



Category: Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Tower of Terror - Fandom
Genre: A bit of period-typical homophobia, Disney is cool, Ghosts, I love AUs so much, M/M, Major character death because, Teen and up rating because of mild spoops, Tower of Terror au, Tower of Terror but with my own spin, Wanda is Bucky's niece, spoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-12-15 11:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11804682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObscureSubmarine/pseuds/ObscureSubmarine
Summary: Hollywood,1939. Amidst the glitz and glitter of a bustling young movie town at the height of it's golden age, the Stark Tower Hotel was a star in its own right. A beacon for the show business. Now, something is about to happen that will change all that....





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I eat, sleep, and breathe AUs. Please send help.

**Hollywood, October 31 st, 1939**

_The heavens seemed to split open as nature roared to the land below, angry flashes of lightning lighting up the night in a display of power. The winds blew like the breath of an angry god, tearing down streets and causing palm trees to bend and sway in the wind like bendy straws. The ferocious power of nature did nothing to deter the mood of those down below, for they were in Hollywood, the best place in the world! Signs lit up the street as they warred with the lightning for supremacy over the night. People walked down the streets without a care in the world, only worrying about the ferocious weather because it messed up their hairdos. Cars tore down the roadways as they raced to get their guests to the best spot to be on that very night. The Stark Tower Hotel._

_It rose up from the Hollywood strip like a giant reaching up to the sky to grab the sun from its perch. Its spires pointed to the heavens like accusing fingers, and its glittering blue sign sent out a beacon for all the lost travellers trying to reach its doors. Cars pulled up to the drop-off in a never-ending stream, spilling their guests out and rushing away to get more. People stood with their luggage at the entryway to the most glamourous building in all of Hollywood, staring into its shining lobby, smiles splitting their faces as they stepped into it. Bellhops dragged luggage in behind the guests, sweat dripping down their faces and pooling in their collars. One man stood alone in the lobby, smiling at this familiar scene. This man was Anthony Edward “Tony” Stark, the creator and owner of the hotel._

_Tony tilted his head around, looking at the hustle and bustle of his hotel. It was even busier than normal, what with the special Halloween masquerade ball being held tonight. But most of all, the people came to see the two stars of the show that would be performing at the ball. Sure enough, one of them came waltzing through the doors just as Tony was thinking about his special guests. He could tell who it was as he came sauntering through the door as the cameras flashed. Tony saw the white faux fur coat as the figure broke through the crowd of paparazzi, waving them off as he walked over to the black-suited Stark. “Well, well, well” Tony said as he planted a quick and discreet kiss on the man “If it isn’t my beautiful man, Steve Rogers!”_

_Steve laughed nervously. “As much as I love your affection, sweetie, you know we can’t do that in public!” Tony frowned. He hated the homophobia of the 1930’s, but he was stuck with it. He smiled again. “Don’t worry, everyone will just think of it as a bit of friendly fun. Anyway, are you ready for your big performance?” Steve smiled as he took a drag off of his cigarette. His face screwed up as the nasty nicotine taste hit his tongue, and it took all of his manners to stop him from spitting in the lobby. Tony laughed. “I still don’t understand why you pretend to like those things, Steve!” Steve frowned. “I have to keep up my singer image! You know that I have to keep up with the times!” “I know, I know, sweetheart. I’m just teasing you!” Tony said as he clapped Steve on his shoulder. The singer and the inventor/actor were drawn out of their own little world by the sound of cheering and flashing cameras. “Ah, I know who has just arrived!” Tony said as he turned around. “The star of our show” “HEY!” “Calm down Steve! It’s Peter Parker!”_

_The child star waltzed into the hotel lobby with a swing in his step and a smile on his face. The little kid was wearing a pastel red suit with a blue shirt and tie underneath, completing his normal look, which was all about the red and blue. Cameras flashed as he shot the paparazzi his winning smile, and he laughed as they all cooed. “Alright, alright, clear it up! The child has to be somewhere in a few minutes you know!” a voice cut through the din. “Nat!” Peter cried as he ran over to the slim and imposing woman dressed in all black. Everyone knew of young Peter Parker’s nanny, Natasha Romanoff. A no-nonsense woman, she could kick your butt to the moon and back if you tried to harm her little boy. It was common knowledge that the two gave each other nicknames based off of spiders, cementing their love of one another. The paparazzi parted like curtains as Natasha took Peter’s hand and walked him towards the elevator and the two men dressed in black and white._

_“Hello ma’am, may I take your bags?” an eager voice suddenly said off to Natasha’s left. She turned, bringing Peter with her, causing the little boy to squeal “Weeee!” She was met with an eager bellhop, who had extended a hand to her, basically asking if he could take her small purse. “No thank you, Mr…..Barton, but I can take care of it myself” Natasha said to the bellhop. “If you want to help me, why don’t you take Peter’s bags?” She gestured to a large stack of suitcases being brought in the door by another sweating bellhop. “Sure thing ma’am!” Clint Barton said as he raced off to get the bags, a little disappointed that he couldn’t get to help such a classy dame._

_Tony chuckled as Natasha and Peter approached him and Steve, who was once again taking a drag on his cigarette. “Spare the poor man, won’t you Tash? He’s flabbergasted!” Natasha just snorted. “Steve, please stop trying to look interesting with that cigarette, it’s making you look like you’re suffering. And no, I won’t spare him! I can handle myself!” Steve looked sad, but he was relieved that he didn’t have to keep up with the act. Peter, who was looking around while the three adults talked, finally noticed the other two men, and his face split open in a smile. “Steve Rogers and Tony Stark!!!!! You guys are my idols!” the little boy gushed. The men smiled. If they could be married, they would have a child like Peter as their son. Ahhh if only they could._

_“Here’s your bags, ma’am!” the bellhop said as he struggled up to the small group of people. He was weighed down by all of Peter’s bags, which were filled with outfits and pictures perfect for signing. Everyone wants a piece of Peter memorabilia! “Oh, thank you” Natasha said. “Shall we head on up to the Tip Top Club?” Tony said as he took Steve’s arm in his own. The singer blushed, but quickly hid it as the two turned towards the elevator. “The Tip Top Club? Yaaaaaayyyyyyy!” Peter squealed as he grabbed Natasha’s hand and pulled her after Tony and Steve. Clint groaned as he picked up the heavy bags once again and dragged them towards the elevator. At least he was doing this for a beautiful broad. That made it worthwhile!_

_The five entered the elevator, with Clint just squeezing in with the bags. “Alrighty, where are we all going tonight?” Tony said with a silly grin. “The Tip Top Club!” Peter squealed as he jumped up and down. Steve’s shoulders shook the faux fur on his coat as he laughed at the little boy’s antics. “Is that where our other friends are going?” Tony said as he looked at the other three people in the elevator. “Yessir” Steve said as he shot a small smile at Tony, who winked back at the white-clothed singer. “Let’s go!” Tony pushed the button for the Tip Top Club, and the elevator started to move._

_The storm raged on with a ferocious power, lightning illuminating the hotel’s shape as the elevator slowly climbed up the tower. Suddenly, a stray bolt of lightning shot out from the tumultuous sky, a terrible finger of bright blue. It struck the tower’s bright sign, and the elevator shaft behind it, snapping the cables as electricity fried every system that let the elevator run. The car plummeted down twelve floors, only stopping when it crashed into the concrete floor of the basement. The guests of the Stark Tower Hotel were rushed outside into the dark night, leaving all of their belongings behind. The authorities said that the bolt of lightning compromised the Tower’s safety, and that no one should go back in to get their belongings. Five people went missing in the chaos, including the famous singer Steve Rogers, the brilliant inventor and owner of the Tower Tony Stark, and the child star Peter Parker. Some say that they were in the elevator along with Peter’s nanny and a bellhop, but the authorities could not find any bodies when they investigated the crushed elevator car. They had vanished, never to be seen again._

_Rumours started to circulate that the now abandoned Tower was haunted, but nobody was brave enough to enter the Tower to figure out if it was true or not. So the Tower still sits, dark and dismal as it slowly rots away. Some say they can hear the screams of five people coming from the building at night, but those are just rumours…….._


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I neglected to include in my last note (i forgot) that I will be updating every Sunday. Hopefully. Plz don't hate me if I don't update on time.

**The office of The Hollywood Gossiper, present day**

Bucky heard the familiar click of a door closing behind him as he walked out of yet another editor’s office. He can’t believe that they didn’t believe him! He was right! That office building really was haunted! Stupid editors and their want for ‘actual content’. Heck, this place was for tabloids! Those are literally just lies sugarcoated with real names and actual places! HIS stories were true! If only he could just get a ghost on camera……..

Once again that thought ran through Bucky’s head as he walked dejectedly down the hallways in between the tiny cubicles, watching the other gainfully employed people watch him go down the walk of shame. He clenched his fists together as his thoughts bounced around his head, becoming more and more vile as he cursed the names of all of the editors who had turned his stories down. Those really left dark spots on his resume. If only someone would actually listen to him and understand that what he was saying was real!

He flung open the door leading to the parking lot, channeling his rage as he lashed out at the poor, defenseless door. He growled, a sound from the back of his throat, as he stalked across the parking lot to where his sorry excuse for a car was sitting, waiting for him to come back to it. He grabbed the handle with such ferocity that he pulled the rusted thing right off the doorframe. “Damn it!” Bucky screamed to the sky above, venting his frustration. Luckily, the window was already broken, so he just reached in and pulled the lock up, letting him get in the car. Thankfully the car decided to start up on the first try, it was a fickle creature, and Bucky drove away with a scowl on his face and a black cloud over his heart.

When he pulled into the driveway, the first sight Bucky was greeted with was the skeptical face of his niece sitting on his messy front porch. “I’m guessing from that look that the interview didn’t go so well?” Wanda called as her uncle parked the rust bucket and came out of the car, broken handle in hand. “You truly have extra-sensory powers, Wanda” Bucky said, absolutely deadpan. “So” the girl said as she hopped up off of the front step “What newspaper are you gonna try to get into this time, Unc?” “I don’t know, Wanda. I don’t know” Bucky sighed as he sat down on the step, making his niece look down on him as he hung his head in his hands. Wanda turned to head inside the house where the two lived, and as she did, she called over her shoulder to her distraught uncle. “Oh, by the way, a letter came in the mail today from a guy called T’Challa, he wants to talk to you about your stories.” Bucky’s head shot up. No way.

T’Challa was the editor-in-chief of the most popular magazine about the occult and other spiritual things, the Wakandan Legacy. Named after a mystical country of ancient African folklore, this magazine was very well respected, and only the best of the best journalists could get a job there. Just the fact that one of the greatest men in all of paranormal research history wanted to talk to him about his writing made Bucky’s day. The gloom left over from being turned down yet again flew away when he heard those magic words come out of his niece’s mouth. Bucky jumped up from his spot on the porch, screaming “HALLELUJIAH!” to the sky. “Shut up!” the grumpy old man across the street yelled at Bucky as he poked his head through his shutters. “Sorry!” Bucky called as he ran in to his house, jumping for joy. He had an interview to prepare for!

\-------------------------------------------

“I’m guessing that interview is the thing that put the spring in your step huh?” Wanda said as she watched her uncle run around the kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off. “OF COURSE! T’Challa is such an important figure in the ghost community!” Bucky squealed as he jumped like a kid in a candy store. “What else did the note say?” Wanda grabbed a piece of paper that was sitting on the kitchen table, and looked at it. “It says that he’ll meet you at three o’clock today.” Bucky looked at his watch. It was 2:50. Bucky proceeded to freak out.

Bucky stood in the doorway as he watched a sleek black car pull up to the curb. He gulped as he watched a man, dressed in a black suit that looked like it was worth more than Bucky himself, stepped out of the car and adjusted his tie. Bucky looked down at his own outfit that consisted of a purple dress shirt that was going on 16 years and khaki pants that had seen better days. He sighed. Oh well. “I assume you must be Mr. Barnes” T’Challa called as he walked up the driveway. “Yes, yes! I am Mr. Barnes!” Bucky said with a huge smile on his face. He stuck out his hand at lightning speed, nearly hitting T’Challa. The well-dressed man just looked at the offered hand, and then back up at the maniacally smiling Barnes. “Shall we go inside?” “Oh yes, of course!” Bucky said as he spun around, opening his front door.

\---------------------------------------------

The two men sat down at the shabby kitchen table as Wanda watched from the living room. “Mr. Barnes, I have read your work and I am impressed. I wish to hire you, but you must pass my test if you wish to have a job at my establishment.” “Of course! I’m up to any challenge you throw at me!” Bucky said maniacally as he flashed a huge smile at the editor. “Good. Now, my test for you is that you have to write a story that proves the existence of ghosts most indefinitely! I want hard evidence, and I want to meet these ghosts. Do that for me, and I will give you a job” T’Challa said, his imposing eyes staring directly into Bucky’s. Bucky was dumbfounded. T’Challa was asking him to actually meet a ghost and introduce T’Challa to the ghost? Oh no…….

“I assume that this task is in good hands. I shall leave you to it. Good day.” With that, T’Challa got up from the table and left. “Well, that seems impossible” Wanda called from the living room. “Yeah” Bucky sighed “But I’m not giving up!” Wanda walked over to her uncle and stared at him. “Well, what ghost are we investigating? Are there any real ghosts to investigate?” Wanda asked. “Hey! Those ghosts were real!” Bucky snarled as he whirled around to face his smirking niece. But inside his mind, Bucky began to doubt such a thing. All the calls he had received about ghosts were normally just cases of faulty wires or pipes. One memorable time there was a cat in the wall! But there was a story that he and Wanda could investigate……..

 


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iiiiiiiiiiiiiit's update day! Woohoo! Also, a little note I forgot to include, this is not beta'd, so if anyone spots any mistakes, please point them out. Constructive criticism is always welcomed!

**Bucky’s house, October 15 th, 2017**

Wanda plopped down on the edge of the kitchen table as Bucky paced the length of the small kitchen. “Sooooo, this story of yours. What is it?” she inquired. Bucky paused in his pacing so he could face his niece. “Well, when I was a little boy…” “Oh great, it’s going to be one of THOSE stories.” “My grandfather would always tell my sister and I these amazing ghost stories when we were young. My favourite was the one he would tell about the old Stark Tower Hotel.” Wanda cut him off before he could continue. “Hold on. THE Stark Tower Hotel?!” Bucky just shot Wanda a look. “No. The other one. Of course that one! Why do you care so much?” Now it was Wanda’s turn to stare at Bucky. “Every teen knows that if you want to become a true teen, you have to go to the Stark Tower Hotel and go inside the gates. Hardly anyone lasts a few minutes!” Bucky raised an eyebrow at his niece. “How long did you last?” Wanda looked like a deer in the headlights. Caught ya! She shook her head. “So, what was your story?” “The story started like this……”

\-----------------------------------------

_An unruly mop of brown hair was all that Bucky’s parents could see as he raced up the stairs to the attic door, where he knew his Grandpa would be waiting. His sister was already in the attic, the evidence being that she had dropped her favourite sparkly blue dress-up shoe on the attic stairs. Bucky vaulted up the stairs and into the musty attic, which was always the perfect setting for Grandpa’s stories. After all, what place is spookier than an attic? Bucky paused. “Basements” he thought “Basements are spookier.”_

_He pushed open the attic door and was greeted with the sight of his Grandpa in his favourite rocking chair, and his sister in her regular spot on the floor. “C’mon Buck, sit down! I want to hear a story!” his sister called to the aforementioned brother. He plopped down in his regular spot, and two pairs of eager eyes were turned on the old man sitting opposite to them. He chuckled. Bucky Washington Barnes was known as the greatest storyteller of all time by his grandchildren, and he loved to watch their faces light up as he spun his tale. Most of the times his stories were fake, but the old man believed that the little ones were ready for the truth. The anniversary of that day had just happened, and the two kids had seen it on the news. It was time for them to learn the real story. “James, Magda, are you ready?” “YEAH!” the two children cheered. “Alright, be warned that what I am saying is true, so the story goes like this…….”_

_“Many, many years ago, when I was just a young lad, I was best friends with a famous singer known as Steve Rogers. He and I were like two peas in a pod! Nevermind that I was one year younger than him! I heard that he was going to perform at the Tip Top Club in the famous Stark Tower Hotel….” “Hey! That’s the hotel we heard about on T.V!” the kids said in unison. Their grandpa chuckled. “Why yes it is! When I heard that my best friend was set to perform at the greatest hotel in Hollywood, I knew that I had to get there to see him. I bartered and gambled, but eventually I got myself a ticket to go see Steve. Now this is the part where it mixes with what you saw on the T.V. I got to the hotel just as Steve and the others were entering the elevator, and even though I called to him he could not hear me. I decided to wait for the next elevator, and as I waited, I heard a deafening squeal and then a terrific crash. At that moment, the power flickered, eventually turning off. Everyone began to panic, and they all rushed outside, sweeping me out with them. I knew that those five were in the elevator even though the police couldn’t find any bodies. I knew that they had been sucked into a whole new dimension, but nobody believed me. I devoted the rest of my life to figuring out why those poor people had been sucked into what I believe is another dimension, but I could never get inside the hotel to investigate. Maybe you’ll be able to get in there and figure out what happened.”_

_\----------------------------------------------------------_

“Cool story” Wanda said as her uncle finished up the story from his past. “I know!” Bucky gushed as he remembered his childhood “And I think that story is going to be my saving grace. If I can get in the Stark Tower Hotel and set up a photoshoot to make it look like I’ve encountered the five ghosts, then I’ll be able to convince T’Challa to give me a job!” Wanda just shot him a glance as she picked up T’Challa’s note again “Remember he said that he has to MEET the ghosts? I don’t think people in costumes will be able to pull that off.” Bucky’s smile slid off of his face like a banana from its peel. “Oh yeah. Well, I’ll figure something out!” Bucky wasn’t about to lose his enthusiasm. He had to keep his mood up so he could get this job. He really, really needed it. He looked around his kitchen, noticing his peeling wallpaper, rusty oven, doorless microwave, and his rotting cupboards. Yeah, he REALLY needed this job. And he wasn’t about to waste his chance. He had a story to go off of, a location, and a contact. He was going to the Stark Tower Hotel.

“Wanda, can you grab the Book of Contacts for me?” She huffed “Why do I get the feeling that you capitalize those words?” As much as she complained, she was secretly excited. She was so scared before, but now she’s going to the hotel with someone else to stay by her side, and no nasty ‘friends’ who just want to see her scream her head off. She knew exactly what page to flip to in the old contact book as her excited uncle rooted around the living room for his ancient cellphone. She was dragged out of her thoughts by a triumphant “HAHA!” coming from the living room, meaning that Bucky had found the cellphone. “Here you go, try not to rip the page off, it’s barely hanging on” Wanda said as she handed her uncle the book. “Such a good kid! Already on the page!” Bucky crowed as he punched in the phone number. He held it to his ear, and he began to pace the length of the kitchen once again. He was going to wear a hole in the floor if he paced anymore! Bucky froze in place, meaning that whoever was on the other line had just picked up. Bucky spoke. “Hello? Is this Stephen Strange? Good. I would like to ask you about a visit to the Stark Tower…….”


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! Sorry this didn't come out yesterday, I was pretty busy! So, here it is, the latest chapter of Tower Of Terror!

**The Stark Tower Hotel, October 16 th, 2017**

Bucky pulled his old rustbucket into the cracked driveway of the Stark Tower Hotel, stopping at the huge wrought-iron gate that blocked the old hotel off from the rest of the world outside. The hotel’s symbol stood proudly on the gates, showing off its rusted beauty to the world, unaware of the time it is in. Vines and tree branches crept through the bars, ensnaring the once beautiful entrance in their thorny grips. The cracked asphalt wound away up into the overgrown garden, leading the way to the hotel’s front doors. The old branches swayed in the breeze as they creaked and moaned, scraping up against the old lampposts that still stood, guarding the pathway. But as creepy as the path was, it was nothing on the behemoth that rose up behind it.

The Stark Tower Hotel cast its huge shadow down upon the path and its unsuspecting visitors. Its spires still pointed upwards, seeming like the jagged teeth of some massive monster sleeping in the depths of the crumbling old building. Its brown paint still stood out from the blue, blue Hollywood sky while its crooked sign still flashed its 20’s style lettering out to the world. The building would have once been a beautiful sight to behold, and it might still have been, if it not for the jagged black mark on the front of the building. The huge scorch mark, behind and below the hotel’s sign, was a reminder of its grim past, forever marking the deaths that it had experienced almost 80 years ago. The two people far below it shivered as they stared up at the fallen star. This was the place.

“Wow. This place is even creepier than I remember it being” Wanda said as she shivered once again. Bucky cast a glance at his niece, who was slightly shaking. He had never seen his niece shake before. She was as tough as nails, and was never scared of anything. This was strange behaviour for a girl like her. Bucky swallowed. As scared as he was, he had to put on a brave face for his niece. He had to show her that there was nothing to be afraid of, even though just SEEING the building made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. As they stared, a person ambled up to the gate, staring at the two gobsmacked figures on the other side of the gate. “I take it you must be the Barnes’?” Bucky and Wanda jumped a mile.

\-------------------------------------------

Once Bucky’s racing heart had calmed down, he managed to speak to the person on the inside of the gate. “Yes, I am Bucky Barnes. This is my niece, Wanda. That means you’re Stephen Strange, right?” he said. The figure smiled. “Yup, that’s me!” The man looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, with black hair that had two small streaks of gray on either side of his face. He had an angular face with a nice goatee, complimenting his blue-gray eyes. He wore a faded blue shirt with an equally faded red sweater tied around his waist, and he wore khaki pants that seemed a little too long. He seemed like a nice man. “So, what brings you to the Stark Tower Hotel?” Bucky immediately perked up, all traces of fear flying from his face. “I got a job offer from the Wakandan Legend, and I have to do a piece on some ghosts to get the job.” Stephen looked dumbfounded. “NO.FREAKING.WAY.”

Turns out, Stephen was a big fan of all things paranormal and was a subscriber to the Wakandan Legend. His love of the mystic arts was one of the two reasons why he bought the old, decrepit hotel. He firmly believed in ghosts, and the hotel has one of the most well-known ghost stories connected to it. As soon as Stephen heard that sentence come out of Bucky’s mouth, he unlocked the rusty gate and threw it open, making Bucky and Wanda back up so they wouldn’t be hit. Stephen immediately threw his arm onto Bucky’s shoulder, leading him up the overgrown path, leaving Wanda to trail behind the two men. She huffed. Of course they would leave her behind! Oh well. She followed them up the path, heading to the entrance of the Stark Tower Hotel.

\---------------------------------------------

“So, what do you know about the ghosts supposedly living in here, Stephen?” Bucky asked the older man as they approached the front gardens “Have you seen them?” Stephen stopped dead in his tracks and gave Bucky a puzzled look. It then morphed into a laugh. “Listen, I said I LIKED the mystical and occult, that doesn’t mean that I want to meet them! I’m terrified of this place!” “I thought you said that you bought the hotel because of the ghosts!” Bucky replied. Stephen shook his head. “No, I said that was ONE of the reasons why I bought the hotel. I know that if I can fix this place up and make it liveable again, I can earn a whole lotta cash! Plus, I kind of spent my last dollar on this thing.” Bucky frowned. This was not a good start. He needed to know about the inside of the hotel, and the only person who had access to it was too scared to go inside! Bucky sighed. If only his grandfather were still alive. He would have known the layout!

“Well, I can always do some shots outside of the Tower. I’m sure that even if I just get some pictures out here it would be enough” Bucky said as he looked around the overgrown front garden. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how the hotel must have looked in its heyday. Even though the building was super creepy, it was still majestic. Stark must have been proud. Wait, Stark……Bucky got an idea. He whirled around to face Stephen again, who was playing with a flower that had bloomed on one of the bushes. “Y’know, Stephen, you look kind of like Mr. Stark! I can take some pics of you, do some editing, and voila! One ghost!” The journalist was excited. This could actually work! Stephen sat bolt upright. “You really think so? I was a doctor, but I’ve always wanted to be an actor!” Bucky smiled. “Well, here’s your chance! Let’s go get you a suit, and we can get started!” Bucky was so happy that he completely forgot that he had brought Wanda along with him, and she was about to do some investigating of her own.

\------------------------------------------------

Wanda snuck past the two adults quite easily, since they seemed to be wrapped up in their own little world. She watched them walk away, talking about “suits” and “you’ll be just like Mr. Stark!” She rolled her eyes. That Strange guy looked nothing like the one picture she had seen of Mr. Stark, he was much taller than the man from the 1930’s. His face was much more angular than Stark’s, and his eyes were a different colour. She turned away from the two rapidly disappearing men and faced the large front doors of the Stark Tower Hotel. She gulped. Looks like she was going on alone. She pushed the doors open, and Wanda stepped into the lobby of the hotel.

It was very obvious that she was the only visitor that the hotel lobby had had in 78 years. Dust covered absolutely everything in sight, only making the decrepit hotel even creepier. Rotting flowers still sat in their vases, petals long gone. Suitcases still sat on the floor and on carts, waiting for their long-gone owners to return for them. Newspapers still sat on the edges of once-beautiful mahogany coloured couches, and card games still sat on dusty tables underneath the shadows of lamps. Lantern-like lights hung from the ceiling like steel sentinels, waiting for someone to return light to them. A large tapestry hung from the peeling wallpaper-covered walls, slightly swaying as a light breeze wafted into the lobby from the now-open door. A chandelier hung above a large fireplace that would have held beautiful roaring fires that could warm the entire lobby. A statue of a fierce bald eagle stood on a pedestal surrounded by wilted flowers, glaring at anyone who dared to approach it. The check-in desk still had the book of guests sitting on its edge, pens still primed and ready to go. An ink bottle sat next to the book, waiting for people to dip their pens into it to write their names down, cementing them as guests of Hollywood’s greatest hotel. A rusty old bell completed the look of the front desk, making it even more eerie. Behind the desk, cupboards were still filled with letters and postcards, just waiting to be read by the people they were sent too. Wanda shivered. It was just like it was back in 1939, untouched for almost 80 years. Creepy.

Wanda spun around in a circle, trying to take it all in. It was hard imagining that this hotel was last in use in 1939, since everything looked like it was still in good condition. Of course, anyone could tell that the style of everything was certainly old, but it could be passed off as a tribute hotel to the 20s, 30s, and 40s. It was so creepy, just standing in the lobby, surrounded by dust and other people’s belongings. It was made even worse by the fact that all of Wanda’s spinning had given her a perfect view of the elevator. Wanda had always had a good sense for emotions, and she swore that she could _feel_ the terror rolling off of the elevator doors. Wanda felt her eyes well up as she thought of what the five poor souls must have been feeling when that elevator plunged down to the basement. What did they do to deserve that? Nothing. She should know. She knows everything about the five missing people.

Back when she was 13, the turning point of a pre-teen into a teen, she went out to the Stark Tower Hotel with her friends to complete her right-of-passage. She was to stay inside the gates of the long abandoned hotel for as long as she could, proving to the crowd of teens that she was truly a mature teenager. After she had stepped in the gates, her friends slammed it behind her, blocking it so she couldn’t swing it open. Then other, older, teens jumped out from within the wild garden, scaring the poor girl greatly. After that night, she never hung out with them again. But she was interested in the story behind the grand building standing behind her, so she took to the internet and found out all that she could about the hotel, the elevator incidents, and the missing guests. She looked through their pasts and found that the guests were good people before they died (Wanda was still a little suspicious of Natasha, but not a lot), so it wasn’t some kind of karmic revenge that killed them. It was just a freak accident, but an extremely sad one. It always made Wanda sad, since their unfair deaths always reminded her of her family, who had died in a car crash years before.

Wanda shook her head, clearing her thoughts. It was really sad, but she needed to keep investigating. As she walked around the lobby, she pulled her favourite red sweater tight to her body, trying to squeeze as much heat out of it as possible. The temperature had really dropped! It must have been from the breeze, but it wasn’t strong enough to bring such a drastic change in. Maybe it was just because the building was really old. It wasn’t like it was ghosts or anything. “ _Get a grip, Wanda. Don’t let your imagination go crazy”_ she thought to herself. Hold on, did the lights just flicker? No, they couldn’t have. The power had been shut off for years!

As Wanda looked around, she noticed one lamp, sitting on a small table, begin to shake. She rubbed her eyes. It was just her imagination. Then she heard a large thump come from behind her, and when she turned around, she discovered that the door had been shut! She was starting to pant, her fear making itself known. “ _Awww, are you scared? Well, doll, it’s about to get a whole lot worse.”_


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope everybody had a great first week of school (at least for those who are still in school)! As my gift to you, I present another chapter!

**The Stark Tower Hotel, October 16 th, 2017**

Wanda froze, sweat dripping down the back of her neck. NO. WAY. That wasn’t possible. No. It couldn’t be! _“Believe me, sweetie, I’m all too real.”_ Wanda slowly turned around, trying to drag her frozen feet in a circular pattern. Her eyes were so wide you could probably see to China through them! Her hands clenched into fists as she finally faced the voice coming from behind her, and she was greeted with a face full of Tony Stark. There he stood, a silly smirk plastered onto his face, staring back at her. He was dressed in an immaculate black suit that seemed to be worth the same amount as T’Challa’s, and he had dress shoes to match. He adjusted his tie, hands a pale, pale colour, almost the same colour as snow. He seemed slightly transparent, a faint image of the check-in desk showing through the man’s body. To top it all off, a faint light blue aura flowed off of his body, completing the look of a ghost. He smiled again. _“You alright, doll? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”_

Wanda screamed, a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through the abandoned hallways of the hotel and outside to the messy garden. She turned and bolted, not even caring about all the things she could potentially destroy in her panic-induced haze. She tore open the front doors and took off into the garden, never even looking back at the smiling ghost. Tony gave himself a pat on the back, congratulating himself for another job well done. As he did so, a melodic voice floated into his ears, giving him a hint that his boyfriend was materializing. _“I thought you only called ME doll!”_

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Wanda’s scream had reached the ears of her uncle and Stephen, causing them both to turn and bolt for the hotel doors. They reached the drop-off just as she came running out the doors, slamming into her uncle and nearly knocking him over. “Wanda, Wanda, what’s wrong?” Bucky asked worriedly. He was already unnerved by the fact that Wanda had been scared when they approached the hotel’s gates, but now he was even more scared at the sight of his tough-as-nails niece gripping onto him like he was her lifeline. She lifted her head, revealing her wild eyes and gaping mouth “You were right Unc! You’ve been right this whole time! Ghosts really DO exist! I just met Tony Stark!” Bucky and Stephen shot each other a look of concern. Ghosts? They were real?! Maybe it was just Wanda’s imagination. Bucky looked back at his distraught niece. “Hey, Wanda” he said in a soothing voice “How about I go inside, and see if the ghost is still there. If it is, I’ll tell it to leave my niece alone!” Wanda gave him a small smile, but she shook her head. “I saw that ghost. It’s my responsibility to get rid of him” she said. Bucky smiled. His niece really was growing up. “Umm, excuse me?” Stephen interjected “Does that mean I have to go in too?”

The trio began marching up to the front doors, now slammed shut once again from Wanda’s terrified run out the door. As they approached, Wanda slid in behind her uncle, letting him go first. Bucky took a deep breath and grabbed the door handles, pulling them open, letting the three terrified people step inside the building. They looked around the abandoned lobby. Nothing. No sign of another presence! Everything seemed clear. _“Hey, darlin’, look who decided to come pay us a visit again!”_

The three people froze. Standing right in front of them was Tony Stark, the famous (and long dead) actor/inventor. He looked right at Wanda, who was still cowering behind Bucky. _“Hey doll, who are your friends? I’m so excited to meet them!”_ he said with the same smirk on his face. _“Don’t you know it’s rude to linger in doorways?”_ another voice asked them as a shape began to materialize beside Tony. At first it was just a blue blob, but it eventually became the shape of a man, finally showing off a large, blonde-haired man wearing a white faux fur coat. The new man leaned over, resting his head on Tony’s. Bucky finally worked up enough courage to speak to these apparitions. “A…are you some kind of joke?” Both ghosts looked up at the people huddled in the doorway with incredulous looks on their faces. _“Are we a joke?”_ Steve said, anger lacing his voice _“I can assure you we are no joke! Is that any way to treat the dead?”_ With that comment, Bucky realized something that sent his world spinning. He really was talking with the ghosts of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. He was speaking with ghosts.

“Oh, uh, ummm, s..sorry!” Bucky managed to stutter out “I’ve never spoken to ghosts before!” Tony sighed. _“Nobody really has. They just run away in terror. That’s okay with us. Leave us to our misery and we won’t bother you.”_ Wanda peered out from behind her uncle. These ghosts seemed really sad! And misery? What was going on in this hotel? _“That’s a question I believe I can answer”_ a woman’s voice said beside Wanda’s ear. Stephen squeaked from behind her, alerting Wanda to the fact that Natasha Romanoff was standing right beside her! Wanda startled, stepping back as the ghost peered down at her. _“It’s a bit of a long story, but if you’d like to make yourselves comfortable, I’d be willing to explain.”_

Bucky, Wanda, and Stephen made their ways over to the dusty old furniture, sitting down on them, sending a billowing cloud of dust up in the air. The ghosts wandered over to the living room as well, taking their places all around the room. A giggle rang around the room as the young star Peter came down to meet the living humans now sitting in the living room. He gasped, an adorable smile spreading across his still chubby face as he stared at the humans. Wanda waved shyly at the little boy, and he squealed in delight. He turned to Natasha and tugged on her dress. _“Nat? Who are these people? Are they new friends?” “Yes, little one. These people are now our friends”_ Natasha replied. She looked around the room, noticing that the last of the ghosts was still missing. A frown spread across her face, and she sighed. _“Clint! Be sociable won’t you?” “Yes ma’am!”_ a peppy voice said from the dusty coat check. The last ghost, the bellhop named Clint Barton, materialized and zipped over to Natasha’s side. She seemed pleased that all of the ghosts were there, and she sat down in a chair across from the couch. She smiled. _“Shall I begin?”_


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The next chapter! Maybe I'll be able to finish this story in time for Halloween.......

**The Stark Tower Hotel, October 16 th, 2017**

_“Well, I assume you all know the story of the night we disappeared, but I’m betting my buttons that you don’t know how or why we disappeared. To be honest, even WE don’t know why we disappeared, but we sure know how it happened. It was October 31 st, 1939, and we were all on our way to the Tip Top Club for Stark’s Halloween ball. As we climbed up the floors in the elevator, it was struck by lightning, causing the cables to snap and send us plummeting down to the floor below. The electricity caused the elevator to move so fast that we became weightless, making a kind of vortex in the center of the elevator. Coupled with the fact that the lightning found its way INSIDE the car, shocking us all, the vortex opened up a portal to the place known as the Fifth Dimension. It’s a realm of sight, sound, and mind, perfect for ghosts and spirits. We all got sucked into it, and now we’re trapped in the Fifth Dimension. We can still send our images and conscious minds into the regular world, but our bodies and our souls still remain in the Fifth Dimension. That’s why you see us as ghosts, but we still retain our ability to hold a proper conversation, remember our pasts, and behave in a civilized fashion instead of floating around and screaming.”_

The three living people facing the ghosts felt their jaws collectively drop as they heard this explanation. The Fifth Dimension was real! It wasn’t just a rumour or something in an old T.V show, it was real! And these poor souls were trapped there! Wanda, the most sensitive of them all, decided to ask the ghosts the question that was hanging on all of their tongues. “Can we help you get out?” This time it was Steve who replied. _“No. We’ve already tried everything. Once, a while ago, someone snuck in here, a believer of ghosts, and did try to help us, but to no avail. We’re forever stuck, living out the agony every night.”_ Bucky spoke next. “Agony? What do you mean? I mean, I know that ghosts must be really sad that they can’t pass on, but I didn’t know that ghosts can feel pain!” _“Every night we relive the night we died”_ Clint said as he set his bellhop hat down on a small table _“We don’t see what happened, but we feel it. Y’know, speaking of time, I think it’s time you folks skedaddle and head on home. You don’t want to be here with us at night. It’s not fun.”_ Bucky, Stephen, and Wanda looked at each other. If the ghosts were suggesting that they should leave, then they should probably listen. They stood up, dusted off their pants, and turned to leave. Before they left, Wanda turned to the ghosts again, noting their crestfallen faces. “Don’t worry” she said “We’ll be back in the morning.”

\----------------------------------------------------

Stephen was the first to talk after the trio had left the hotel for the night. “Well, that was interesting!” Wanda whirled, facing Stephen with a snarl on her face. “What do you mean, _interesting_?!” she accused “That was _awful_! Those poor people have been trapped in an almost constant state of agony for 78 YEARS!” “Wanda, let’s not get worked up…..” her uncle tried, but there was no stopping the angry teen. “NO! I’m going to get worked up, and you’ll LIKE IT! We might not be able to get them to pass on, but we can sure as hell make their afterlives a little bit better!” She turned once again and stalked away. “I’m going to do some research, and I’m going to figure out how to help those ghosts!” she called over her shoulder. “If you two want to do something productive, then come help me!” Stephen shot Bucky a look. “You let her walk all over you like that?” Bucky huffed. “No, but I think I’ll let it slide this time. She seems to be pretty invested in this whole ordeal. Anyway, it would be nice to help those ghosts.” Stephen shrugged, and the two men began to follow Wanda down the path.

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_“Natasha, dear, do you think that was a very good idea, telling them all that?”_ Tony inquired as he leaned against his boyfriend. Natasha turned to face the brunette. _“Yes, I think it was. They all seem to care about us to some degree, especially the girl, and I think they can help us get some form of peace in this miserable existence.”_ Steve nodded his head. _“I agree with Nat, Tones. They’ll be able to do something to help us.” “Like find my left sock!”_ Peter chirruped as he ran around the living room, playing with a toy he had found in a suitcase. He was wise for his years, but he still retained his childlike wonder and happiness, which brought the other ghosts great joy. Tony smiled. Oh, how he loved the little guy! If they had still lived, he would have adopted Peter as his own! Of course, he and Steve could raise Peter no problem! That brought an idea to Tony’s head. He looked up into Steve’s eyes, waggling his eyebrows. _“How about while we’re all waiting for the mind-numbing agony, you and I grab the ol’ record player and do some Lindy Hop?”_ Steve smiled. He could never resist the opportunity to go dance with his sweetheart. _“Alright, you live wire! Let’s dance!”_

\-------------------------------------------------

As the trio walked down the path towards Bucky’s car, Stephen asked if Bucky and Wanda wanted to crash at his place for the night, since they would probably be going back inside the Stark Tower the next day. “Thanks so much! That will be reaaaaally helpful” Bucky said graciously “I’ll just move my car.” He drove the beater over to Stephen’s house, which was right next to the plot of land that the hotel sat on. They were the only two structures on the street, and you had to drive for a few minutes before you could reach the next street. “Y’know, when the Stark Tower Hotel was first built in 1921, it was the only thing around here for miles. It was the closest, and nicest, hotel in a good proximity of Hollywood, so the location didn’t really matter a whole lot” Stephen said as he unlocked the door to his house. “Alrighty, welcome to my humble abode!”

Stephen’s house was a simple one, a bungalow with nice-enough furniture and pretty reliable power. It didn’t have a lot in it (after all it was for one person), but it would be perfect to stay in for the night. Stephen rubbed the back of his head, looking a little sheepish as Bucky and Wanda walked into his front hallway. “I know it’s not much, but hopefully it will do for the night.” Wanda turned around, a surprised look on her face. “What do you mean, _not much?_ We barely have a functioning house!” “HEY!” Bucky said, whirling to face his niece. Then he shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. The house is pretty crappy.”

 Stephen pushed past his two guests, sweeping his arms out as he walked into the living room. “I don’t have a spare bed, but you guys can sleep on the couch if you’d like. It’s a pullout!” Bucky nodded. “Sounds good! I just have to say, thank you so much for doing this for us.” Stephen chuckled. “Well, we’re figuring out an 80 year old mystery, so I think this is the least I could do!” “Speaking of 80 year old mysteries” Wanda piped up “Shouldn’t we get started on figuring that out?” “Oh yeah! We should do that! Let’s get started!” Bucky proclaimed as he walked over to his niece’s side. “Time to help some ghosts!”

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It was well into the night when Bucky, Wanda, and Stephen were dragged out of their research by a wailing alarm clock. Stephen looked up sleepily from his battered iPad, and stared at the clock like it held the secret to life itself. “Oh” he said, tiredness lacing his voice “I forgot I set that.” Both Wanda and Bucky groaned. Just after Bucky had exclaimed that they had to get started, Wanda had suggested that they get to the library before it closed to gather all the books they could about Hollywood in the 1930s. After some bartering (and a little bit of flirting, on Bucky’s behalf), they managed to get permission to take copies of the original newspaper stories about the Stark Tower Hotel’s accident. Now, sleep-deprived and grumpy, Bucky and Wanda tore their eyes away from the hundreds of newspaper clippings and books that they had collected. “Thank the gods that you set that thing, or I’m pretty sure WE would be ghosts!” Bucky groaned as he pulled himself up off the couch. “Now let’s get to sleep!”


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of updating this story two times a week. What do you guys think?

**Stephen Strange’s house, October 17 th, 2017**

Wanda was roused from her sleep by an exceptionally loud snore from her uncle, who was sleeping in a starfish position, smothering her. She shoved her uncle’s leg and arm off of her and she rolled off of the pullout couch. She stretched, yawned, and went over to the washroom. She cleaned herself up, put on her clothes, and wandered over to the kitchen. She went rooting through the cupboards until she found two wonderfully sized frying pans, and hefted them up over her shoulders. At that moment, a bleary eyed Stephen made his way into the kitchen, grasping for the coffee maker. “What…..are you doing with……my pans?” he slurred, sleep in his voice. “I need to wake up my uncle. He can sleep through a war!” Wanda said as she entered the living room. She lifted them up, and CCCCRASSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Bucky’s head shot up out of the bed. “I’M UP, I’M UP!” Wanda smirked. “Welcome to the land of the awake, unc.” Bucky rubbed his eyes and stretched, staring up at his niece, who was still wielding the frying pans. A voice drifted in from the kitchen, meaning Stephen had gotten his coffee, giving him the ability to speak. “Well, I’m awake now! And partially deaf.” Bucky and Wanda laughed. Wanda’s face morphed into a serious one. “Alright, now that we’re all up, we are going to go over to the hotel and tell the ghosts what we found!” Stephen and Bucky groaned. Why couldn’t they just have a lazy morning?

\------------------------------------------------

“So, we did some research last night on the accident, and we believe that we have figured out how to release you from your torment” Wanda proclaimed as they once again sat in the living room with the ghosts. The ghosts looked skeptical. They didn’t harbor much hope anymore. They WANTED to be pain-free, but they had resigned themselves to their fates. _“We’ve been living in agony for almost 80 years”_ Tony growled _“What makes you think that you can change that fact?”_ Wanda smiled. “Because we know what’s causing you pain.” That made the ghosts look up.

“Wanda figured out what was going on, and once she told us, we put together all the pieces of the puzzle” Bucky said “Now we have a pretty good idea of what is causing you such pain every night.” The ghosts looked curious. This could really help them! Stephen then took over, continuing the conversation. “All of your pain seems to be related to the elevator, which is quite logical since that was the place you all died.” Clint grumbled. _“Yeah, thanks for sugarcoating it.”_ Stephen shrunk in on himself. “Sorry! But, since the elevator is such a source of pain, we believe that if we can fix the elevator and get it up to the Tip Top Club, we can release you from your pain!” The ghosts all smiled. That seemed plausible! They all never got to go to their destination, so they would be in pain from never reaching the Tip Top Club. These people really could help them! Tony smiled. _“Then what are you waiting for? Fix that elevator!”_

The three living people walked over to the doors of the elevator, staring at the antique doors. They all shivered. They were standing not three feet away from the five people who had died in this very elevator, making the experience even worse. “So…..this is where you guys died…..huh” Bucky murmured. He heard the ghosts sigh behind him. This mustn’t be any easier for the ghosts. _“If you truly want to see the elevator and get it working again, you’ll have to go down to the basement”_ Natasha said. Steve piped up as well. “ _If you’re looking for a way down to said basement, the stairs are down that hallway.”_ He pointed to a small, dank hallway that branched off of the living room. Stephen gulped, accurately representing the other two living human’s feelings as well. “Well, let’s get this over with before I decide to chicken out.”

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As the small, ragtag group of people (both alive and not) went into the hallway, the feeling of sadness seemed to increase. This place was already sad enough, especially with the ghosts trailing right behind. The ghosts seemed even more subdued, even the two liveliest ones, Tony and Peter. They knew that they were going to the place of their deaths, and it was obvious that they hadn’t been down to see the elevator in all of the years that they had been trapped in the hotel. They all stopped at the door marked ‘Basement’, all staring at the sign, none of them actually going through the door. _“Well. This is the place”_ Tony said solemnly. He seemed to be the saddest of them all. He probably felt guilty that his elevator was the one that they all died in, so seeing the door to the basement where the elevator lay in its decaying state must have made him feel awful. Steve lay a comforting hand on his lover’s shoulder, trying to comfort the distressed man. _“It’s okay, sweetpea. You’re the bee’s knees! It wasn’t your fault, it was a freak accident.”_ Tony seemed to lighten up at the comment. _“C’mon, let’s just go.”_

Bucky grabbed the door handle and twisted, swinging the door open. Dust flew out of the doorway, blasting it in the waiting people’s faces. The emotion that seemed to flow out of the ghosts intensified as they stared down into the black, black basement. Peter whimpered and hid behind Natasha’s legs, fearful of what lay down in the depths of the basement. Steve stepped forward, facing their past head on. _“I’m not going to let my fears control me. I want to have a nice and quiet afterlife, and this is the only way to do it.”_ Tony joined him in the doorway, staring down as well. _“I’m with Steve. I’m not going to let my past control me. Let’s go!”_

The ragtag group descended into the blackness, letting it swallow them up. The only light down here was the faint blue glow coming from the ghosts, who were leading the way. Stephen, Wanda, and Bucky were happy to let them take the lead, as none of them knew their way around the hotel. Huge shapes loomed out of the darkness, deteriorating metal creaking and groaning as they passed by. Once-fiery boilers stood on guard all around the room, protecting all the other bits of wire and metal that were strewn all around the messy, dark room. _“Tony, can you find a light for our human guests?”_ Natasha asked as she took little Peter’s hand. _“I can find a light, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll be able to light it!”_ he said back as he continued on into the room. All the others stopped as he looked around the room, using his ghostly vision to search for a lamp or a lantern. _“AHA!”_ Tony exclaimed as he held one up for the others to see. Well, for the ghosts to see, the three living people couldn’t see a thing! Steve leaned against Bucky’s shoulder, becoming corporeal for just a quick second. _“That’s my boyfriend for ya!”_ he said proudly. Bucky just shivered at the cold sensation.

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Once the lantern had been lit (Bucky found a lighter in his pockets), the hulking shape of the crushed elevator was revealed. It sat like a sleeping giant, its presence filling the entire room. Death seemed to radiate from the mass of mangled metal, a single cable still connected to the top of its frame. Scorch marks covered the entire thing, evidence of its shocking meeting with the forces of nature. It truly was a sight to behold. The living human’s eyes welled up as they saw the twisted and broken walls of the car, imagining the terror and fright that the poor souls who were inside had felt. Those poor souls stood right behind the three, staring at the object that had killed them. This was an awful place for them, but they soldiered on, the want for peace was too strong to be ignored. Bucky sighed. “Alright, let’s get to work.”

Luckily they had found an old toolbox in the basement, which makes sense since this WAS also the maintenance storage area. Even better was the fact that Stephen could fix the elevator! His nimble doctor hands could fit inside small spaces, and they would be gentle with the almost century-year-old machinery. When he was young, his dad taught him how to fix a regular car, just in case he ever got in a jam and had to wait a long time for a tow truck to come pick him up. Stephen stared at the crushed elevator car, its one feeble wire still extending up into the inky black elevator shaft. “I’m sure that fixing an elevator car is the same as fixing a regular car!” he said with a little too much cheer, betraying his fear and his thoughts. Bucky was much more outright with his skepticism. “I don’t know. I would assume that they would be much different.” _“This is our only hope. We have to try!”_ Clint cheered. “Ooookay, here we go!” Stephen said, and he got to work.

The elevator car itself was mangled beyond belief, but the mechanisms that made it run were on the top, so they were in pretty good shape. Well, as good a shape that a 96 year old mechanism can be. Stephen climbed up the twisted and torn side of the elevator car, and perched himself precariously on the roof of the car. “I’m up!” he called down to the waiting people below. “The motor seems to be looking pretty good, and I’m sure the motor up above is okay. Probably rusty, but okay. I’m worried about this cable, though. I don’t know if it will be able to support all of the weight itself.” The ghosts looked really worried. This couldn’t fail! Tony stepped up to the side of the elevator, shouting out to Stephen. _“I built my cables to withstand the worst. Lightning was not one of the options I considered. You do have to remember that I am a genius.”_ Stephen looked down at Tony. “So what you’re saying is that this cable can pull the entire elevator up 13 floors?” Tony smiled. _“Yes. I made those cables out of a titanium alloy. Lightning was a surprise, but that cable can hold up a lot of weight!”_ Stephen shook his head. “Alright, I’m trusting you!”

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Stephen had been working on the elevator car for almost three hours, working nonstop to try and fix it. After the small hand on Bucky’s watch reached the three, Stephen’s voice echoed out from the top of the car. “FINISHED!” he crowed. The ghosts cheered. They would be saved! Stephen clambered down the side of the car, jumping down, sending a cloud of dust billowing up from the spot where he landed. Stephen coughed. “I guess I shouldn’t have done that.” Bucky and Wanda laughed. The ghosts were too busy looking at the fixed motor on top of the elevator. Quiet sniffles came from them, emotion radiating from the long-dead people. If this worked, they would finally be able to live in peace. Steve turned around, blue eyes staring right at Stephen. _“Why are we standing around and gawking? Let’s get this six-cylinder fired up!”_

Stephen waltzed over to the elevator controls, an old, rusty panel filled with dust covered buttons. “Hey Tony, do you think you can come over and help a guy out? I don’t know what button to press.” Tony walked over to stand beside the puzzled man. He pressed the button marked with an arrow pointing to the roof. _“You press that button.”_ Stephen smiled sheepishly. “Oh yeah. Well, here….we…..GO!” Everyone stared as the one cable suddenly pulled taunt, straining against the hulk of mangled metal on the basement floor. With a tremendous groan, the elevator car pulled off of the floor and began its slow ascent to the Tip Top Club.


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have made a decision! I am going to update this story TWO times a week!

**The Stark Tower Hotel, October 17 th, 2017**

Bucky felt his journalist instincts kick in as he watched the elevator climb up the old shaft, on its way to the Tip Top Club. This was an amazing story just waiting to be told! He could see the headline now: “ _Good Samaritans save tortured souls! Return light to their afterlives!”_ He shook his head. No. He had to squirrel those instincts away. This moment was too precious to put in words. It was indescribable, watching those long dead faces light up as the elevator climbed. It was pure happiness. You could never put that kind of happiness on a page. So Bucky stored those instincts and decided to live in the moment.

Wanda felt her eyes well up as she saw the ghosts’ faces light up with happiness. This was such a beautiful moment! These poor, poor souls were finally getting a chance to live (well, not really, but you get my drift) a life of peace and happiness. They would no longer need to fear the night and the torture it brought them. They would be free! At least, they would be free from pain. The idea that the ghosts could never leave made Wanda feel sad again, but she picked her spirit up off of the floor as the elevator did the same thing, rising up to the highest floor.

Stephen kept looking back and forth between his new friends and the groaning elevator, which had disappeared up into the shaft. He didn’t get it. Maybe it was because he was a skeptic, or maybe he just had a whole lot of common sense, but all this happiness didn’t seem to be worth it. Sure, he would be really happy if the elevator reached the Tip Top Club, but there was a very large if in the way. He just couldn’t see how an elevator could manage to climb 13 floors only attached to one cable. Plus, it was scraping against the walls, creating even more friction, which certainly wouldn’t do the cable any good. Stephen turned away, once again looking up at the elevator. Let’s hope this works.

The ghosts couldn’t remember a time when they were happier than the moment they were in. Well, Steve and Tony had a moment, but they didn’t want to share. That was a very personal moment indeed. Anyway, no one had ever noticed the little gold chains that they hung around their necks. They were always tucked away. But that’s a story for another time. They all stared at the elevator, tracking its movement with their ghostly sight. The elevator had reached the 11th floor, albeit very slowly, but it was there. They really hoped that the elevator would continue, and it did. But nothing is perfect.

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The people waiting far below in the basement all cringed when they heard an awful, unholy screech come from high up in the elevator shaft. Terror reared its ugly head, and the vicious emotion made its presence known on every face. They were all scared that the elevator wouldn’t be able to get up to its destination, due to any number of problems that could arise from a 96 year old elevator moving once again after laying in disrepair and rot for almost 80 years. All that could be heard was the deafening silence following the screech, terror permeating the air like a fog rolling in. It swirled up into the shaft, spreading its awful feeling. The ghosts prayed that the elevator would keep going, as did the living humans accompanying them. You couldn’t even imagine the sheer joy that radiated from the spectres and humans once they heard the groan of the engines, pulling the elevator along once again.

It was like a party in that dark and dank basement when they heard the satisfying _ding_ of the elevator reaching its destination. The ghosts leapt up into the air, screaming with pure, primal joy. They were free from the torment that had plagued them for 78 years! But the humans, though filled with happiness as well, were more skeptical. Bucky cleared his throat, getting the ghosts’ attention. “Sorry to be a party pooper here guys, but the sun hasn’t set yet. We don’t know if our theory even worked!” The ghosts’ faces fell. Oh yeah. Wanda glared at her uncle with the force of one thousand suns. Bucky shied away from the girl’s furious glare. Everyone and their dog knew to stay away from Wanda when she was really riled up. “What do you think you’re doing?!?!?! You’re crushing these poor souls’ spirits! This is their only chance!” Wanda snarled. Bucky shrugged. “Sorry sweets. I want these ghosts to have a peaceful afterlife as much as you do, but we still don’t know if this will work!” “Well, we’ll be seeing if it worked in a minute” Stephen interrupted. Both Bucky and Wanda turned to look at Stephen, who was in turn staring at his watch. He looked up. “The sun’s about to go down.”

The ghosts rushed out of the room, flying up the stairs and into the dusty living room. The humans followed at a slower pace, but just as rushed. This was the moment of truth. They all stared as they watched the sun disappear below the horizon, welcoming the cool embrace of the night. The moon slowly appeared, and the stars winked into existence. The ghosts’ forms shimmered and shook, switching back and forth between their full-on forms and their translucent blue forms, small currents of electricity arcing over their features. No shrieks echoed through the halls as the night took over the sky completely, enveloping the land in a blanket of darkness. The ghosts shone one more time before they solidified again, well, as well as a ghost can solidify. The five turned around, tears filling their eyes and smiles splitting their faces. Little Peter was the only one who could speak, and he only whispered _“We’re free……”_

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The ghosts erupted in cheers and sobs. They were finally FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They rushed over to the three smiling humans, becoming corporeal for a split second so they could hug the humans. A teary-eyed Tony looked straight at Wanda, a huge smile plastered on his face. _“You freed us. Your idea gave us another chance.”_ At this point, Tony was surrounded by his fellow ghosts, all of them beaming. _“Thank you to all of you for setting us free! You have done us a great service, and I don’t know how we could ever repay you!”_ Wanda, Bucky, and Stephen all looked around the living room, the same thought running through all of their minds. Stephen spoke up first. “You don’t need to do anything, but we only ask for your permission to start up a little something in this fine tower…..” Tony smiled. He would give the final judgement. After all, he WAS the former owner! _“Go right ahead. This place could use a little livening up!”_


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! This is it! The end of Tower of Terror! I've had so much fun writing this story, and I'm glad that you fans liked it as well. I have some new projects waffling around, so look forward to some new awesome content from me! Happy October!

**The Stark Tower Hotel, two years later…….**

A large crowd stood outside the front doors of the Stark Tower Hotel, the sign proudly beaming its welcome to everyone who passed by. The trees swayed in the light California breeze, the sun shone down, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Over all, it was a beautiful day. Birds sang from the trees, spreading their sweet, gentle music all over the gathering of hot and sweaty people. The Tower’s brand new coat of paint shone in the bright sun, as proud and bold as the black scorch mark that still adorned the Tower’s front wall. The spires stretched up into the sky, caressing the sky with their gentle touch. The Tower’s golden symbol glimmered, almost seeming to smile as three people dressed to the nines stepped in front of it. Stephen, Wanda, and Bucky stood proudly on a large podium in front of the hotel’s doors, smiles on their faces. This hotel was to be their new lives.

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Bucky had decided that he wasn’t going to accept T’Challa’s job offer, the need to stay at the hotel too strong to resist. He now had a connection with the old building, and he didn’t want to leave it behind. He CERTAINLY didn’t want to sell the ghosts out and give them away to T’Challa so he could use them as an attraction. He didn’t want them to be shocked and studied, stripped of their humanity and their rights. He wanted to protect these people who had gone through so much! Anyways, Stephen offered him an even better job! He was going to be the head of the Stark Tower Hotel’s PR department! Now that was a job offer he had to take!

Even though Wanda was 17, Stephen still offered the bright young woman a job at the hotel. She was amazing at gathering information, and she had gone to a guidance councillor and learned how to control her violent moods. Now she was a happy and friendly young woman who would be great to have around the hotel. For now she would be working as a bellhop, but as soon as she turned 18, Stephen was going to put her on as a part time receptionist! She still wanted to go to university, so the job at the hotel would help her out with tuition fees and everything else. Plus, she was going for a history major, specifically the 20s, 30s, and 40s, so she had some readily available sources!

After the whole ghost fiasco, Stephen realized that this hotel was worth so much more than just money. He pursued his dream of fixing the hotel up and getting it ready to host guests, but he got it pronounced a heritage site AND he even locked some rooms off so the ghosts had somewhere private for just themselves. That was one of the driving forces behind his project. He had asked the ghosts for permission to reopen the hotel, and they had heartily agreed. They wanted to see life return to the old hotel, as long as Stephen stuck to the original 1920s theme. Stephen agreed, and he got to work. He had workers do a complete overhaul, making sure that everything was completely safe. He took all of the personal belongings that were strewn all around the hotel and returned them to their rightful owners, or their family. He made a lot of people happy by doing that. After two years, his dream was finally realized. Now, on the anniversary of the ghosts being freed from their torment, he, Bucky, and Wanda were going to reopen the hotel, and breathe life into it once again.

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Stephen cleared his throat. “Welcome everyone to the grand reopening of the Stark Tower Hotel!” Cheers erupted from the crowd, as well as a thunderous round of applause. “After 80 years, this beautiful hotel will finally have guests grace its halls and give it life once again. We have spent two years returning this star to its former glory, and now that wonderful 20s charm will be shared with you. Now, for those in the crowd who are wondering why we left the scorch mark on the exterior wall of the hotel, we did that to remind everyone that something terrible did happen in this building. We need to remember those five people who died on that night, and so we have their pictures up on the walls of the living room. Now, I know that they want us to enjoy our time here at the hotel, so I welcome you into the star of 1930s Hollywood, the Stark Tower Hotel!”

Once the three founders stepped off to the side and the bellhops opened the doors, a tidal wave of excited guests flowed into the now spotless living room, shining once again after 80 years of dust. The living room was filled with _ooohs_ and _ahhs_ as the guests got to step back in time to the golden age of Hollywood. They were absolutely stunned by the beauty of the old hotel, once again spotless. The hotel seemed to glow, released from its prison of dust. The only new thing was the five shining portraits on the walls, perfectly showcasing the five people who vanished in the hotel 80 years ago. No one thought about it twice, never even realizing that the eyes in the pictures were tracking the guests.

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The reopening of the hotel was a smash hit. Money flowed through the building, giving the hotel enough money to completely pay off its debts and some extra for some cool new features. Thanks to Bucky’s marvellous advertising, the hotel would be fully booked for three months before even a single room would open! The hotel was filled with excited guests, but none would be more excited than the history buffs and ghost hunters. Many times a day, school groups would wander through the hotel’s halls on a guided tour, learning about life in the 20s and 30s. Ghost hunters would always ask for the seemingly ‘most haunted’ rooms, to which the people on the desk would ask one of the three founders where to put them. Those founders would then find the ghosts and ask them to haunt a room. They would happily oblige, placing a lot of smiles on faces. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t do things on their own accords.

Lots of rumours have spread around, detailing some of the haunts to be had in the Stark Tower Hotel. Some say that when children are playing in the lobby or in their rooms, a small, immaculately dressed boy will come up to them and join in on the fun. The children are never able to find the boy again. Other people say that when the children are in the lobby and playing, a lady in black with stunning red hair will be watching them from a distance away, tea cup in her hand and a serene look on her face. Some reports say that when you pull up into the drop-off, there will be a bellman waiting for you who vanishes whenever you turn your back to him. He always seems to be smiling. Last, but certainly not least, is the favourite ghost story of the guests of the Stark Tower Hotel. They say that if you stay on the 12th floor, you can hear swing music echoing through the halls at night. The staff have also said that if you go up to the Tip Top Club at night, you’ll be able to see two figures in the middle of the dance floor, swinging the night away. Of course, nobody else is allowed up to the Club at night, so this rumour is a favourite.

Of course Stephen, Bucky, and Wanda know why those rumours circulate, and they know who’s doing what. But they love their big, weird, sort-of family. The hotel is their home, and they wouldn’t trade it in for the world. They breathed life back in to the Stark Tower Hotel, and they would continue to do so for many, many years.


End file.
